As Bloomberg reported May 31, conservative commentator Bill Kristol and others in the #NeverTrump camp were encouraging National Review writer, veteran and lawyer David French to run as an independent presidential candidate to challenge Republican Donald Trump.

Jonah Goldberg, also with the National Review, told NPR, “David tells me that he is doing this with a goal of actually winning. Now, I know all politicians kind of say that. But I think he is sincerely is looking at this. And he feels that at the very least, he can say, if he fails, that he tried.”

That was then. This is now. French announced Sunday night that he won’t be throwing his hat into the presidential ring.

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In a National Review post titled, “Why I’m Not Running For President,” French writes, “After days of prayer, reflection, and serious study of the possibilities, I am not going to run as an independent candidate for president of the United States.”

@DavidAFrench David French is a patriot and a good man. The kind of man who should be considered for the job. But sadly not who we will get.

French says he gave the idea lot of serious contemplation but admits it will take someone with much deeper pockets to be able to compete against Trump and likely Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton.

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He laments the decision not to run because, in his words, the two leading candidates are morally lacking and unqualified. “Never before have both parties failed so spectacularly, producing two dishonest, deceitful candidates who should be disqualified from running for town council, much less leader of the free world,” he writes.

French elaborates on Clinton’s character, saying, “Hillary Clinton lies habitually and changes position on virtually every public issue except for her pro-abortion extremism, and she has a suspicious record of making public decisions that favor donors to the Clinton Foundation.” He also points out that there is still an active FBI investigation of her handling of classified information.

As for Trump, French writes, “Donald Trump also lies habitually (sometimes minute by minute), and changes position based on his moods. In one breath he claims to support working men and women, and then with the next breath he threatens to destroy our economy through trade wars or by playing games with the full faith and credit of the United States.” French also points to Trump’s criticism of an American-born judge who is overseeing the Trump University lawsuit as proof of his recklessness.

French admits it would take someone who “either is extraordinarily wealthy (or has immediate access to extraordinary wealth) or is a transformational political talent” to be able to pull off an independent victory this late in the process. “[I]t is plain to me that I’m not the right person for this effort,” he writes.

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He concludes, “To those I’ve disappointed, I’m sorry. It is your devotion and integrity that help keep America great, and I believe you will ultimately prevail.”